ST. PETERSBURG – Andy Beal started for Columbus last night. Maybe he will hurl for the Yankees Saturday at Fenway Park.

That’s because Alex Graman’s chances had to vanish last night when he was mauled by the Devil Rays in the Yanks’ 9-7 loss at Tropicana Field. Pitching in front of Bomber brass Damon Oppenheimer, Gordon Blakeley and Billy Connors but not George Steinbrenner, Graman likely pitched himself out of the big leagues

Five runs and five hits in one-third of an inning doesn’t earn a young Yankee pitcher another opportunity. Especially in Fenway Park in late July.

Who will face the Red Sox? Without a day off, nobody can be skipped. Jose Contreras, tonight’s starter, on short rest isn’t a strong idea. Randy Johnson won’t be a Yankee in time. The Mariners won’t deal Jamie Moyer and the Yankees don’t want Pittsburgh’s Kris Benson.

Beal? After the way Brad Halsey and Graman, the last starters elevated from Triple-A, pitched it may be a while before the Clippers’ phone rings.

Most likely it will be Tanyon Sturtze, who pitched effectively in relief last night until tiring in the sixth when the Devil Rays scored three runs (two tainted) on the way to a victory that was witnessed by a sold-out crowd of 41,755.

The loss was the Yankees’ third in five games since the All-Star break and dropped their road record to 24-22. The Devil Rays set a club record by hitting eight doubles.

Thanks to the Yankees scoring twice in the fourth and three in the fifth, Graman wasn’t saddled with the loss that went to Sturtze (3-2). In three big- league games (two starts) Graman has worked five innings, allowing 14 hits and 11 earned runs.

Ruben Sierra’s third homer in as many games and second as a pinch-hitter this season, came with two outs in the eighth and scored Hideki Matsui to cut the deficit to 8-7. Closer Danys Baez replaced Jesus Colome and fanned Kenny Lofton to end the inning.

The Devil Rays scored two gift runs in the sixth when Hideki Matsui and Kenny Lofton failed to catch pinch-hitter Robert Fick’s two-out fly to left center. They added another run in the eighth one pitch after Derek Jeter and Sierra couldn’t glove Carl Crawford’s foul pop near the bullpen. Crawford made it hurt by ripping a run-scoring triple to right-center.

Sturtze provided 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief before tiring in the sixth when Julio Lugo led off with a double and went to third on Toby Hall’s single to center. Felix Heredia surfaced and gave up an RBI single to Geoff Blum that snapped a 5-5 tie.

Rey Sanchez’ sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third for Crawford, who fanned for the second out. Juan Padilla was called in and the fly ball he got pinch-hitter Robert Fick to hit should have been the third out, but Lofton and Matsui failed to communicate and the ball fell for a double that scored two and hiked the hosts’ lead to 8-5.

The Yankees had sliced a five-run deficit to 5-2 in the fourth when Alex Rodriguez singled and Jason Giambi walked. Jorge Posada forced Giambi at second in front of Matsui breaking an 0-for-13 slump with a single to right that scored A-Rod. Enrique Wilson followed with a single up the middle that scored Posada to make it a three-run deficit.

When Rob Bell drilled A-Rod with a 1-2 pitch to load the bases with one out in the fifth, Lou Piniella had seen enough and called for righty Lance Carter to face Giambi with the Devil Rays ahead, 5-2. Giambi’s fly to center plated Derek Jeter, and Posada’s double to center scored Gary Sheffield and A-Rod to tie the score.